WorldBoston Recommends: 12/13/21 – 12/17/21

Dear Friends,
Welcome to this week's WorldBoston Recommends email, highlighting high-quality programming over the next week, whether our own, from other World Affairs Councils, or other excellent venues. We hope these recommendations help you stay internationally engaged, wherever you may be.
Best regards,

Mary P. Yntema
President & CEO

Monday, December 13th
12:00 – 1:00 PM ET
Artificial Intelligence (AI) carries great promise for driving economic growth and improving our lives, as well as potential risks that could severely undermine its potential. In his recent working paper, “Harms of AI,” MIT Institute Professor Daron Acemoglu argues that AI needs to be properly regulated for society to reap the full benefits of the technology in the future. Otherwise, AI risks producing social, economic, and political harms, such as damaging competition, consumer privacy, and consumer choice; fueling inequality and failing to improve worker productivity; and damaging political discourse. If regulated properly, these potential pitfalls can be avoided, and AI can lead to economic growth, shared prosperity, and substantially greater welfare for our society. Join the Brookings Institution for this conversation.

Tuesday, December 14th
1:00 – 1:45 PM ET
What did diplomacy look like in the years of the early American republic? In this segment of Diplomacy Classroom, the join the National Museum of American Diplomacy to learn about the aftermath and consequences of one of the United States’ first international trade and hostage crises. In 1793, North African Barbary pirates captured 11 American ships and 100 citizens, and U.S. diplomats worked to solve the crisis with no navy or substantial annual revenue, and with limited means to negotiate. This event will feature NMAD’s public historian, Dr. Alison Mann, who served as one of the consulting historians for its new simulation, The Barbary Pirates Hostage Crisis: Negotiating Tribute and Trade.

Tuesday, December 14th
6:00 – 7:00 PM ET
The shutdown of global supply chains due to the Covid-19 pandemic brought to the fore an issue with the high level of global economic interdependence: what happens when one country is the main source for an item, say face masks, and then can no longer supply the item? Countries suddenly unable to meet the demand for certain supplies are faced with growing calls for economic nationalism. What are some of the lasting effects that the pandemic could have on global supply chains and trade? How would this affect national security? Join WorldBoston, when we host Dr. Willy Shih, Professor of Management Practice in Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, for the last installment of our 2021 Great Decisions series.

Wednesday, December 15th
10:00 – 11:15 AM ET
At the end of the Cold War, the West embarked on a quest to transform the post-Soviet part of Eurasia into markets and democracies. While expectations of quick changes were tempered with time, the sense of a liberal mission remained. Three decades later, the situation in Eurasia is dramatically different. The dividing lines are stark again, the political landscape is much more confusing, and the West is undergoing a confidence crisis. On the eve of the 30th anniversary of the collapse of the Soviet Union, this roundtable, hosted by the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, will reflect on the experiences of Western engagement in the post-Soviet space and the key features, promises, and dangers of the current moment.

Wednesday, December 15th
4:30 PM ET
Join the World Affairs Council of Orange County as they host Dr. Fiona Hill to discuss her book There is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the 21st Century. In this powerful and personal account of her story from a blighted corner of northern England to serving three U.S. presidents, Hill shares what she has learned, and shows why expanding opportunity is the only long-term hope for our democracy. Hill is the Robert Bosch Senior Fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe in the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution. She recently served as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council from 2017 to 2019.

Thursday, December 16th
12:00 – 12:45 PM ET
Madeleine Albright and Condoleezza Rice each guided US foreign relations through critical moments in the nation’s history. As diplomats, advisors, experts, and authors, they have indelibly affected America’s engagement with the world. For the final event in the Century of Global Leadership series, Albright and Rice will join the Chicago Council on Global Affairs to discuss women’s significance in shaping and implementing US foreign policy, national security, and diplomacy. The Council also will recognize their important legacy by honoring the leadership and diplomatic achievements of Madeleine Albright and Condoleezza Rice with its Centennial Global Leadership Award.

Thursday, December 16th
1:00 – 3:00 PM ET
In recent months, there have been several high profile court cases involving professors or officials accused of sharing research and trade secrets with the Chinese government. These cases all have a common thread: the Department of Justice’s China Initiative, an investigative program launched in 2018 to deter and disrupt alleged or actual Chinese government espionage or intellectual property (IP) theft targeting U.S. researchers, universities, and businesses. How extensive is Chinese government espionage and IP theft targeting the United States? Is the China Initiative a form of racial or ethnic profiling? How has the China Initiative impacted U.S.-Chinese information and technology exchanges and cooperation? How has the U.S. academic community responded to these events? Join the Cato Institute for an expert panel discussion on this issue.

Have you taken our What in the World? quiz yet this week?
Test your international affairs knowledge! Check @WorldBoston on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram every Monday, or email Natalie Mase to receive the quiz by email every week.
For last week's high scores and more information visit our website here.

WorldBoston | 33 Broad Street, Suite 803, Boston, MA 02109
Unsubscribe {recipient's email}
Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice
Sent by wb@worldboston.org
powered by
Trusted Email from Constant Contact - Try it FREE today.

    Subscribe to our Newsletter

    Footer Form

    Name
    WorldBoston: 33 Broad Street, Suite 803, Boston, MA 02109

    Make A Donation